American Oversight Sues State Department for Records Showing Efforts to Compel Mexico to Pay for Border Wall

Non-partisan watchdog group American Oversight today sued the State Department to force the release of records related to communications and negotiations with the Mexican government concerning payment for President Trump’s proposed border wall.

“Repeatedly on the campaign trail – and now in the White House – President Trump has pledged that the American people will not pay a cent for his border wall,” said American Oversight Senior Advisor Melanie Sloan. “With prototypes already built and Mexico insisting it will not pay for the wall, American Oversight is suing to uncover the facts. What, if any, steps has the State Department taken to actually collect payment from Mexico?”

Since first proposing a border wall in June of 2015, President Trump has repeatedly pledged that Mexico would pay for its construction – at a cost of over $80 billion according to one estimate. Even though the Mexican government has repeatedly insisted Mexico will not pay for the wall, the Trump administration has moved ahead with construction, with initial prototypes finished last week.

On June 16th, American Oversight submitted two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the State Department requesting diplomatic communications between the U.S. and Mexico regarding potential payment or reimbursement for the wall’s construction. The State Department has failed to produce the requested records, leading American Oversight to file suit today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to force the release of relevant documents.